Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
online interactions is expected to grow quickly and steadily in the coming years
(see Terry
2010
).
Besides the evolution of health information available to patients online, a critical
technological development in the life sciences has been the sequencing of the human
genome and, in particular, the decrease in the cost of genetic sequencing, which
promises to revolutionize medicine (Zerhouni
2003
). This trend is expected to rein-
force the role of the patient in therapy choice. Iceland-based
deCODE genetics
, for
example, promises to “empower prevention” by offering patients access to their
genetic risk for 47 conditions ranging from heart attack and diabetes to alcohol flush
reaction and male pattern baldness. The service called
deCODEme
Complete Scan
(see
http://www.decodeme.com/
) costs $1,100. The company's closest competitor
is
23andMe
, a company founded by bioethics analyst and biologist Anne Wojcicki,
the wife of the founder of Google, Sergey Brin, and her colleague, Linda Avey.
23andMe
offers patients the possibility to discover their risk for 97 conditions and
find their predicted response to drugs. The prices of such diagnostics start as low as
$99. Hence, the era of preventive, gene-based medicine is here, which helps to
empower patients to be in charge of their health and therapy-related choices.
14.2.4
Regulatory Changes
Patient empowerment is also being reinforced by regulatory changes. A key regula-
tory change has been greater flexibility towards DTCA regulation in the United
States and New Zealand. Such a relaxation of regulations has sparked controversy.
Some authors claim that DTCA is beneficial as a useful means to educate and
empower patients to take a more active role in their treatment (Holmer
1999
).
Scientific research shows that patients often respond to DTCA by becoming more
involved in their healthcare and voicing more drug requests to their physicians
(Venkataraman and Stremersch
2007
). Although there is general agreement that
DTCA “has the potential to fundamentally alter the roles of doctor and patient”
(Wilkes et al.
2000
, p. 122), not everyone agrees that such fundamental changes are
beneficial. For example, some authors claim that DTCA boosts consumerism and
distorts the patient-physician relationship in undesirable ways (Hollon
1999
;
Moynihan et al.
2002
). The controversy sometimes ends in the court room.
Take the case of Pfizer's ad campaign “Viva Viagra,” launched in July 2007.
Shortly after its launch, Michael Weinstein, then President of the AIDS Healthcare
Foundation, criticized (and later sued) Pfizer claiming that its campaign was pro-
moting patient requests and the usage of the erectile dysfunction blockbuster,
thereby increasing consumer exposure to sexually transmitted diseases (CBS News
2007
). These controversies surrounding DTCA and mass media information have
also led medical scholars and lawmakers to express concern about the FDA's weak
enforcement of existing laws (Donohue et al.
2007
) and the need for more regula-
tion (Government Accountability Office
2006
).
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